Patrick O'Donoghue

Research

Transfer Rna Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Duchenne'S Muscular Dystrophy Huntington'S Disease Missense Suppression Polyq Premature Stop Codon Protein Aggregation

Latest papers

Therapeutic rescue of pathogenic asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase alleles.
Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids · 2026
From patient advocacy to patient-driven research: Building active partnerships beginning at the bench to reach the bedside.
FEBS open bio · 2026
Mistranslation from an endogenous tRNA variant in human pan-genome cell lines.
Nucleic acids research · 2026 · senior author

All 52 publications

Latest funding

Precision therapeutics for genetic disorders with transfer ribonucleic acids
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$1,067,175
Rescuing Charcot Marie Tooth disease-causing tRNA synthetases
CIHR · 2022 · Co-investigator
$841,500
A live-cell analysis system for multiplex quantitation and fluorescent imaging
NSERC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$150,000

All 13 grants and awards

52 publications.

01

Therapeutic rescue of pathogenic asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase alleles.

Samuels TN, Kakadia JH, Ward C, Abdullatif F, Mendes MI, Smith DE, Heilmann R, Wu F, Swiercz JM, Salamons GS, Hoffman K, Gebregiworgis T, O'Donoghue P, Heinemann IU

Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2026.102979 PMID: 42381704

02

From patient advocacy to patient-driven research: Building active partnerships beginning at the bench to reach the bedside.

Kakadia JH, Heilmann R, Barrientos M, MacNeill L, Vallee I, Schultz SK, O'Donoghue P, Moresco AA, Siu VM, Heinemann IU

FEBS open bio2026

DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.70318 PMID: 42623115

03

Mistranslation from an endogenous tRNA variant in human pan-genome cell lines.

Rozik P, Moore H, Lant JT, Hoffman KS, Schultz SK, Afzal B, Chan PP, Flynn LE, Heinemann IU, Lowe TM, O'Donoghue P

Nucleic acids research2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkag224 PMID: 41841496

04

High-fidelity and differential nonsense suppression in live cells and a frontotemporal dementia allele with human transfer RNAs.

Beharry A, Ward C, Moore H, Hoffman KS, Chan PP, Lowe TM, O'Donoghue P

Nucleic acids research2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaf730 PMID: 40794874

05

The IUBMB Focused Meeting on Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases 2023.

O'Donoghue P, Heinemann IU

IUBMB life2025First author

DOI: 10.1002/iub.70041 PMID: 40719009

06

Transfer RNA and small molecule therapeutics for aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase diseases.

Samuels TN, Wu F, Mahmood M, Abuzaid WA, Sun N, Moresco A, Siu VM, O'Donoghue P, Heinemann IU

The FEBS journal2025

DOI: 10.1111/febs.17361 PMID: 39702998

07

Natural human tRNAAla anticodon variants mistranslate the genetic code.

Tennakoon R, Bily TMI, Hasan F, Hoffman KS, O'Donoghue P

RNA (New York, N.Y.)2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1261/rna.080450.125 PMID: 40118510

08

Glutamine missense suppressor transfer RNAs inhibit polyglutamine aggregation.

Tennakoon R, Bily TMI, Hasan F, Syal S, Voigt A, Balci TB, Hoffman KS, O'Donoghue P

Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102442 PMID: 39897579

09

Transfer RNA supplementation rescues HARS deficiency in a humanized yeast model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Wilhelm SDP, Kakadia JH, Beharry A, Kenana R, Hoffman KS, O'Donoghue P, Heinemann IU

Nucleic acids research2024

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae996 PMID: 39530218

10

Metabolic adaptation in epithelial ovarian cancer metastasis.

Frederick MI, Nassef MZ, Borrelli MJ, Kuang S, Buensuceso A, More T, Cordes T, O'Donoghue P, Shepherd TG, Hiller K, Heinemann IU

Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular basis of disease2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2024.167312 PMID: 38901649

Precision therapeutics for genetic disorders with transfer ribonucleic acids

Nominated PICIHR2024Project Grant

Principal investigators: O'Donoghue, Patrick

Keywords: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Duchenne'S Muscular Dystrophy; Huntington'S Disease; Missense Suppression; Polyq; Premature Stop Codon; Protein Aggregation; Transfer Rna

$1,067,175

Rescuing Charcot Marie Tooth disease-causing tRNA synthetases

Co-investigatorCIHR2022Project Grant

Principal investigators: Heinemann, Ilka U

Keywords: Amino Acid Supplementation; Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetase; Charcot Marie Tooth Disease; Mistranslation; Trna

$841,500

A live-cell analysis system for multiplex quantitation and fluorescent imaging

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: O'Donoghue, Patrick

$150,000

Investigating human transfer RNA variants that cause errors in protein synthesis

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: O'Donoghue, Patrick PM

$25,000

Meeting on Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases 2023

Principal investigatorCIHR2022Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Principal investigators: Heinemann, Ilka U; Cui, Haissi; O'Donoghue, Patrick

Keywords: Aminoacyl-Trna-Synthetase; Conference; Rna Therapeutics

$15,000

A nano-LC system to enable functional proteomics research

Co-investigatorNSERC2020Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Li, Shawn

$137,302

Pathways to neurodegeneration from natural human tRNA variation

Nominated PICIHR2019Project Grant

Principal investigators: O'Donoghue, Patrick

Keywords: Mutation; Protein Quality Control; Protein Synthesis; Transfer Rna

$865,980

Bio-contained Bacillus subtilis for infection control

Principal investigatorNSERC2018Engage Grants Program

Principal investigators: ODonoghue, Patrick

$25,000

Canada Research Chair - Tier 2

Nominated PICIHR2018Canada Research Chairs - CIHR Funded - Tier 2

Principal investigators: O'Donoghue, Patrick

Keywords: Crc

$500,000

Robotic Instrumentation to Establish Workflows for Systematic Cell-Based Analyses.

Co-investigatorNSERC2017Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Litchfield, David

$150,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Biochemistry
Department of Biochemistry

Co-authors at Western University, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Teklab Gebregiworgis

Department of Biochemistry

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Murray Junop

Biochemistry

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2024

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Transfer Rna Dear Professor O'Donoghue, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Therapeutic rescue of pathogenic asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase alleles." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Precision therapeutics for genetic disorders with transfer ribonucleic acids" (2024), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]